WBUR is asking Boston to help it raise $125 million, the largest fundraising campaign in the public radio station's history. WBUR has made the campaign public, framing the effort as essential to the station's long-term survival after a year of upheaval in public media financing.
The campaign began in 2023, according to The Boston Globe. WBUR is seeking $125 million and has expressed confidence in reaching that target.
A Federal Funding Collapse Reshapes the Stakes
The announcement comes after Congress enacted the Rescissions Act of 2025, which rescinded federal funds for public media. Low said the loss added urgency to the funding gap WBUR needed to fill. The effects varied among public-media stations.
The federal cuts were sweeping. The Rescissions Act of 2025 clawed back roughly $1.1 billion in federal appropriations over two fiscal years from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as reported by WHYY. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which had operated for nearly six decades and once distributed more than 70% of its funds directly to over 1,500 local stations, began winding down. A federal judge later blocked a separate executive order that had targeted NPR and PBS funding on First Amendment grounds, but that ruling, issued in March by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, did not restore the money Congress had already rescinded, according to the PBS NewsHour. Public media as a whole continues to face serious challenges, including for its most vulnerable stations.
WBUR Was Already Under Financial Strain
WBUR's campaign is not simply a reaction to Washington. The station had already faced financial strain. That pressure affected the station's operations.
Programming has shifted alongside the finances. In May, Rebecca Sheir and Eric Shimelonis, the creators and hosts of WBUR's national children's podcast Circle Round, departed the station after nine years to launch an independent media venture, per Sounds Profitable. WBUR has also leaned on live community events to build its donor base; the station's annual festival, held on Commonwealth Avenue, featured high-profile speakers including chef José Andrés and podcast host Sam Sanders.
GBH Is Running a Parallel Effort
GBH, Boston's other major public broadcaster, launched its own three-year, $225 million capital campaign called Fund the Future on October 1, 2025 — the same day federal funding officially ended. The campaign underscored the organization's need for philanthropic support.
WBUR is seeking $125 million through its campaign, a long-term fundraising effort.
